Little & Broken, But Still Good
by justanoutlaw
Summary: A true mother doesn't give up on their child.


**I wrote this before S7 came out, so before we knew about Red's dementia or anything else. This is how I would have written her being integrated back into the family.**

Red had never imagined herself with a daughter. She loved her three sons, she was glad she ended up with boys. Boys were easy. They got dirty, they joked around. Most of all, boys loved their mothers. They were loyal to them. They'd have their disagreements, but they always came back. Dmitri had wanted a little girl, a princess. He begged Red to try for another after their youngest was born, but she was done. Three boys were enough for her to handle on top of the store and the mafia.

Yes, Red was fine without having any daughters.

And then she went to prison.

Starting off, she stayed out of trouble, not wanting to mix. Then Vee taught her that one has to be tough to survive in this place, so she built her family. She had her partner in crime, Norma and her daughters. Parents aren't supposed to have favorites, but she definitely had one.

Nicky.

The fast talking, wild haired woman who seemed to be the only one who could give her crap. Through a few self-deprecating jokes and taking a look around the room on visitation days, it was clear that Nicky's real mom didn't give two shits about her. Nicky said she understood her side, she had given up on her.

"A true mother doesn't give up on their child," Red had told her. "My sons are all shit for brains, but I still love them and if they were in my shoes, you bet your ass I'd be visiting them once a week."

Their bond continued to grow and lasted through the tests of time. Between Nicky being hauled off to Max and through the riots. Then when they got to the new prison, there was a shift. Their blocks were at war with one another and Red got caught up in revenge, once again. She put it before her family-both her prison and real world one.

It got so bad that she had screwed up her chances of seeing her grandchildren in person for the first time. Once she was out of SHU, Vasily wouldn't answer her calls, none of her sons would. She was so desperate, she reached out to Dmitri, but he's too busy with his new girlfriend to give a crap about their family that's falling apart.

There was a distinct shift since Carol and Barbara's deaths. Nothing was peachy keen, there were still the divides that there had been in minimum, but nothing as bad as it once was. Someone from C Block could chat with someone from B. Piper would be happy, if she could see it. Alas, she got out while Red was away. A part of her is happy for her, the other selfishly wishes she could've said goodbye.

Here at max, she doesn't have a family. Hellbent on killing Freida seemed to push everyone away. Even Flores is gone, though no one is quite sure where she went. Rumor has it that the day she left, her boyfriend was looking for her in the parking lot. Red knows better than to try to crack the case. Once they leave the walls of prison, it's near impossible to keep track of them.

During rec time, she leaned against a wall, letting the cool breeze hit her face. The guards were keeping a close eye on her, not letting her within spitting distance of Freida, not that she'd go near her anyhow. Most of the women were down at the kickball field anyway, the war somehow turning into an actual game.

A fear hit her, with Carol gone…is she going to spend the next 10 years of her sentence alone?

"Hey, stranger."

Red looked up and saw Nicky walking closer to her, a lopsided grin on her face. Red tiltedher head, knowing better than to get her hopes up.

"I still hesitate to call you, Red," Nicky continued, not missing a beat. "I mean, you're blonde now."

"If you call me Blondie, I'll shiv you."

"Now that kind of attitude will land you back into the SHU, little missy."

"Are you here to rub it in my face? Old lady can't stay out of a fight? Ruins everything she touches, no?"

Nicky shook her head. "No. That's not what a good daughter does. I may not always be the best one to my mom on the outside but…"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a Snickers bar, extending it towards Red.

"A true daughter doesn't give up on their mother."

Tears cloud Red's eyes and allows the candy bar to be placed in her hands.

"I still have a family?" She asked, her voice breaking a little.

"You never lost it in the first place. We're a bit smaller now and broken…but it's like that Stitch movie, we're still good."


End file.
